EP Review: Paul Carella – Dead Town

Dead Town is the new EP brought forth by the astounding country marvel that is Paul Carella this November. Carella has been steadily building his name over the last few years with his unique and catchy brand of country blues music and this new EP is a landmark in his career that gives us epic expectations for his future album.

Dead Town is the sound of progression itself as Carella performs to dizzying new heights. His five-track EP has everything you could have come to know and love from his boot-rattling melodies and dextrous medleys that has always made his music so enchantingly addictive; but it also contains something far more decadent, more grandiose. It’s a broadened horizon of Carella’s music. He has branched out and extended and transmuted his own country style into something classical yet bold and contemporary. One astounding aspect is his unexpected use of brass in a live recording which helps to create one of the best songs on the EP.

Carella’s voice sounds molasses thick, crisp and vibrant as he brings his new songs to life. Singing like a born-and-bred Texan it’s hard to recall that he actually hails from Scotland. Blending his rich vocals with his country rock styling’s he really breathes new life into the country genre. There is a tenderness in Dead Town that makes it sound deeply personal. Songs such as I Just Want to Say have his intrinsic charm to them but they also seem to be on a new level compared to his previous work. Carella has broadened his scope even further and honed his skill so perfectly that the result is that each song has his personal craftsmanship entwined steadily through it and is hopelessly addictive.

Something you might notice is that this new EP does contain a rerecording of Red Sole Woman, a famous Carella song that has been released on a previous album. If you’ve ever heard the original before then you might be wondering how it could have possibly needed a change. However, listening to the new recording we were just blown away by the pure, raw, unadulterated energy it yields. It’s a stunning rendition of an already astonishing song. His vocals are sharper, his music more charged, his skills honed to a fine point. Only a man with pure dedication to his craft could have taken a song like this and enhanced it.

Dead Town is a wonderful EP and taster from what we can hope to hear from any future album releases he may be considering. It’s a raw, invigorating burst of country tunes that transfixes you and overpowers your senses with its powerful melodies. His songs will drift steadily through your mind for days.

Dead Town is released to the world on November 8th. For more information, check out Paul Carella’s website here: